


white lines

by spacs



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Almost Sex, Kissing, M/M, Shirtless Gladio, lots and lots of kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 13:53:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9444092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacs/pseuds/spacs
Summary: The more Gladio kissed him, the more nervous he got.Inspired by the amazing artwork of boardingtheark on tumblr (linked in the beginning notes).





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Inspired by the amazing artwork of boardingtheark on tumblr.](http://boardingtheark.tumblr.com/post/156181134904/)   
> 

This was bad.

The more Gladio kissed him, the more nervous he got. It wasn’t that _this_ was bad or that he didn’t want this – he definitely did. But this was the first time they’d been really alone since they ever started… whatever this was – was it just kissing between friends, were they _together_ , what?

Whatever it was, Prompto was nervous. Which was bad.

He was sitting comfortably in Gladio’s lap on the bed and Gladio was getting more hands-y, wrapping his impossible big arms tightly around Prompto. His hands were trailing over his back, which was almost enough to distract Prompto from his nervousness. Prompto’s arms were thrown over Gladio’s shoulders, fingers threading through the hair on at the nape of his neck. He still wrapped his fingers around the bracelet on his wrist to make sure it wouldn’t come loose behind Gladio’s head.

Despite himself, he was smiling into the kiss, his tongue sneaking out to trail over Gladio’s bottom lip. Gladio hummed contentedly, opening his mouth for Prompto. His hands continued to wander, running down Prompto’s back to his hips, then sliding slowly over his thighs. Prompto shuddered, his mouth disconnected from Gladio’s as he let out a sharp breath. The other man didn’t waste a moment, moving his lips across Prompto’s jaw to lick the skin above his pulse.

Prompto’s head rolled back and he grasped Gladio’s shoulders tightly. It felt good. It felt _really_ good. Gladio was good at this kissing thing, there was no denying that. But he was almost unbearably nervous. They hadn’t talked about how far this would go, which he was realizing now was a mistake. They should have talked about it, but Gladio wasn’t the talking type. Or would he have wanted to talk about it too, he just thought Prompto didn’t want to talk about it?

All these _questions_ and no opportunity to think of answers. Prompto should voice them, but he couldn’t find it, especially not with the way it felt to have Gladio’s tongue running down his neck and his teeth scraping his collarbone. It felt _good_. He felt less nervous with Gladio worshipping his neck – a needed distraction from the anxiousness that he could feel in his fingertips. Closing his eyes, he let himself get lost in the heat of Gladio’s mouth. He didn’t want it to stop.

Then Gladio’s hands pulled at his shirt and the anxiety leapt into his throat so fast that he squawked, falling backwards onto the bed. Gladio was so caught off guard – not an easy feat – that he froze, his hands in place and his mouth open, like Prompto was still there. It was funny looking and Prompto wanted to take a picture of him like that, but had to opt for just the mental image.

“S-sorry,” he stuttered, wiping a hand over his bottom lip as he sat up.

Gladio blinked and shook his head to clear it. He closed his mouth, shifting on the bed to sit up. “Are you okay?” he asked, settling his hands in his lap.

Prompto nodded. “Yeah, sorry.” He adjusted his shirt back down.

Gladio’s eyes flicked down to watch him, considering him carefully. “You said that already,” he pointed out.

Blowing out a breath he ran a hand through his hair. “Oh. Yeah I did.” He could feel the apology welling up inside his chest and he tried to bite it back. “Sorry,” he surrendered.

“You’ve gotta stop,” Gladio chuckled, reaching out to poke his cheek. Prompto opened his mouth to reply, and if he was being honest with himself it was definitely going to be another sorry, but Gladio put the same finger over his mouth to stop him. “Don’t,” he said firmly but with a smile.

Prompto mashed his lips together and scratched the back of his head. “I dunno,” he frowned. “We didn’t… I mean… we should probably talk about this, right?”

For a moment, Gladio watched him, thinking. “If you want,” he agreed.

_That’s helpful_ , Prompto thought sarcastically. He rolled his eyes, looking down at his hands. He began to play with a string that had frayed from the bottom of his shirt, twisting it around his finger. He was unsure of where to start. Should he be blunt? Should he open up about his insecurities? Should he _tell_ Gladio about the barcode that was etched into his wrist? He glanced at the bracelet that was securely hiding his secret from his friends.

No. Not that.

Prompto looked around the room, thinking that the answers might be etched into the grainy walls of the hotel. The lights were dim, the bulb by the entrance flickering lightly every few seconds threatening to go out. Maybe it was just the lamp shades, but there was a hazy overcast around that he could only describe as brown. If the lights were off, Gladio wouldn’t be able to see him. Pulling the string around his finger, almost painfully, he deliberated: if Gladio couldn’t see him, then he didn’t need to worry, but by asking to turn the lights off Gladio would push the subject and want to know why.

“Hey,” Gladio murmured bringing him out of his thoughts. He put a hand on his wrist, just over the bracelet. Prompto resisted the urge to pull back. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

“No!” Prompto replied, maybe too eagerly. It made Gladio chuckle again, which made his chest feel warm. If the lights were off he wouldn’t get to see Gladio either though, and he very much liked seeing Gladio. He laughed at himself awkwardly, scooting closer to lean forward and press a short kiss to Gladio’s lips through their laughter. “It’s definitely not that. I mean—” he gestured to all of Gladio, “ _look_ at you.”

Gladio’s head fell back as he laughed and Prompto couldn’t stifle the big smile that spread across his face. Listening to Gladio’s uninhibited laughter made him happy beyond all description – it was his absolute favorite sound. The other man’s arms found their way back around him, pulling him in. “Then what’s wrong?” he asked, amusement still shining in his voice.

Prompto bit his lip and hid his face against Gladio’s shoulder. He shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself. “It’s nothing.”

A hand ran over his arm and settled against the back of his neck, playing with the hair that rested there. “Prompto,” Gladio chided.

“It’s not a big deal,” Prompto insisted, trying to get distracted by the way Gladio fiddled with his hair.

“So that’s why you squealed and ran away from me?” Gladio pushed, drumming his fingers over Prompto’s skin.

He pulled back, narrowing his eyes. “I didn’t _squeal_ ,” he argued.

The other man smirked. “You did. Like a cat.”

“Cats don’t squeal.”

“It’s what you sounded like.”

“Cats _meow_.”

Gladio hummed, putting a hand on Prompto’s waist. Prompto’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened as Gladio moved up, slowly pushing him onto his back on the bed. He placed one of his legs between Prompto’s, his other hand up the length of his body to settle on his cheek. Gladio watched him carefully, still smirking. He ghosted his lips over Prompto’s as he spoke, “I could make you purr instead.”

Prompto could feel _every_ ounce of blood in his body rush to his face. He was so completely _embarrassed_ while simultaneously _really_ wanting what Gladio was offering. He brought both of his hands up to cover his face, sliding them between him and Gladio, and was unable to stop the laugh bubbling up through his chest. His eyes started to water as he giggled.

Gladio poked his stomach which just made him writhe underneath him, probably the wrong thing to be doing in this situation. “Stop it,” and Prompto could hear the offense in his voice.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he tried, though it was more of a cackle. “You’re just – you’re so _hot_.”

At that, Gladio dropped his head onto Prompto’s shoulder and he could feel the other man shaking as he sniggered too.

It took a while for Prompto’s laughter to die down. He kept randomly chuckling as he tried suppress it. Gladio finally broke the silence, “So are you going to tell me what’s wrong or what?”

“Or what?” he answered through his hands. Prompto tried sounding innocent, but he _kept_ snickering.

“Not good enough,” Gladio replied. He lifted his head and tried to get Prompto to move his hands away from his face. “How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”

“You won’t?”

“ _Prompto_.”

“I’m fine!” He cleared his throat as his voice cracked and tried again, “I’m _fine_.” His voice dropped to low which started his giggling again.

“Stop deflecting.”

“You’re deflecting!”

“Oh yeah that’s convincing,” Gladio replied sarcastically. He finally succeeded in moving Prompto’s hands and raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re impossible.”

Prompto grinned at him, trying to will away the blood from his face. “It’s a gift.”

“It’s a _curse_ ,” Gladio corrected him.

Another laugh – he couldn’t stop. Gladio sighed, finally giving up, and dipped his head to kiss Prompto again. The blond slid his arms around Gladio’s shoulders, trying not to giggle into his mouth as he pulled him closer. He _really_ liked kissing, and having Gladio over him was a comforting weight though he was beyond grateful that Gladio had settled for the tank instead of his usual King’s Guard outfit. Having Gladio’s bare chest over top of him like this would have been a lot to handle.

Gladio’s hands wandered again and Prompto willed himself to be calm, his laughter finally dying in his throat as he concentrated on not wriggling away as fingers slipped under his shirt, dancing across the skin of his waist. He focused on the ceiling. Stains pooled to the left were most likely from the room above theirs, a leaky pipe that was seeping through the floor. The wallpaper at the edges against the wall was ripped, other parts detaching slowly as the paste holding it there lost strength.

He hadn’t realized that he had stopped responding all together to Gladio’s kiss until the hand against his skin paused and Gladio pulled back.

“Alright, the hell is wrong?”

Prompto met his gaze abruptly. “Nothi—”

“ _Don’t_ say ‘nothing’,” Gladio interrupted.

He clamped his mouth shut, unable to think of anything else to say.

“That’s twice now,” Gladio told him. “Every time I’ve touched you, you—”

“It isn’t you!”

“Then _what_ , Prompto?” Gladio asked, frustrated. He sat back up and Prompto propped himself up on his elbows to watch him.

“I have—” He stopped himself. It was _stupid_. But what _if_? What if Gladio saw his body and hated it? What if he didn’t want anything to do with Prompto’s body? The marks his younger selves’ physique left on him still to this day made him hate looking in a mirror at his own naked body. Why wouldn’t Gladio feel the same?

“You have?” Gladio prompted.

No one knew about the lines that made his body feel like a prison, not even Noct. But if he _didn’t_ tell Gladio their relationship would never move any further. Gladio would think that he had done something wrong. The outcome for his silence was certain. And the outcome of revealing himself made him squirm uncomfortably. No one had ever seen him naked – or without a shirt – other than his parents.

Prompto frowned and muttered his answer, unclear to the point where he didn’t even understand his own words. At Gladio’s huff, Prompto blurted, “Stretchmarks.”

Gladio blinked at him, his brow drawing in. “Stretchmarks?” he questioned.

“Y-yeah I… I was a pretty chubby kid and… I lost a lot of weight… so…” he trailed off, dropping on his back to stare at the ceiling again. It was off white, chips in the paint at the edges where it met the walls. The brown stains provided a stark contrast to the lighter color the paint was supposed to be. He focused on those new details, trying not to let anxiety build in the pit of his stomach.

“Is that all?”

 Prompto snapped his head back up. “What do you mean, ‘ _is that all_ ’?”

Gladio was smiling at him. _Smiling_. The marks on his abdomen weren’t something to laugh at. They weren’t some small thing to him. They didn’t just mark him the way the code on his arm marked him. He had no memories of that code. The blemishes on his stomach reminded him of a time in his life he would rather forget – when he had no friends, was too devastatingly shy to maintain a relationship with anyone that wasn’t his mom or dad. He dealt with his emotional distress by eating and playing video games. And even after he received the letter from Lunafreya, he was still too large to be worthy of a friendship with the _prince_.

That friendless chubby kid would follow him around for the rest of his life because of those marks.

And Gladio was _laughing_ at him.

“Prompto I’ve got them too.”

_Oh_.

He wasn’t sure what to do with that. So he just dumbly asked, “You were fat?”

“No, blondie, but I wasn’t always like this.”

“Ripped?”

Gladio chuckled. “Yeah.”

Prompto hadn’t considered that. He met Gladio when he was eighteen and at twenty-one, Gladio was already a giant. He had never given any thought to what Gladio might have looked like before they met. His marks came from getting smaller, but Gladio’s came from getting bigger.

“I hit a growth spurt when I was probably eleven,” he explained. He pulled his shirt over his head, turning to show his side to Prompto. The tattoos on his body covered most of them but there they were. Faded white marks lining Gladio’s skin. “And when I started muscle building,” he gestured to under his arms. More marks across his upper arm over top of his muscles. “Some on my legs too,” he added, then quirked an eyebrow suggestively. “Want to see those?”

Prompto swallowed, his mouth going dry. “You have stretchmarks?” he asked stupidly as he stared.

Gladio nodded, climbing back on Prompto. “I have stretchmarks,” he confirmed, his lips over Prompto’s.

A sigh of relief rushed through Prompto’s entire body as he tried expelled all his doubts. He practically threw himself at Gladio, slamming their lips together as he locked his arms around broad shoulders. Gladio grinned into the kiss, slipping his hands down to Prompto’s waist. Prompto showered Gladio’s face with kisses – his lips, cheeks, jaw, forehead – not feeling nervous for the first time since they entered the room for the night.

Old habit die hard though. When Gladio curled his fingers underneath Prompto’s shirt he stiffened. The other man noticed and paused, but when Prompto nodded, he slowly pulled up. He detached himself from Prompto to move down his body, the fabric pushed to Prompto’s chest. His hands held securely onto Prompto’s waist as he spread kisses across the skin on his stomach.

Prompto lifted a hand to his head, hiding his eyes with his fingers as Gladio kissed the marks lining his lower stomach. The other hand gripped his shoulder, dull fingernails digging into Gladio as he tried to push away his anxiousness. He wasn’t sure how to respond to this side of Gladio. He was being tender and understanding, not at all like the brash and pushy man Prompto had become used to. He wasn’t demanding that Prompto let him in or be okay with his marks. He was just trying to demonstrate that he was unbothered. _Gladio_ had marks too.

He wasn’t sure when he started crying but he could feel the tears sliding around his fingers. He sniffed, causing Gladio to look up, alarmed. “Are you crying?”

“ _No_ ,” Prompto replied defiantly, his voice thick and catching in his throat.

Gladio chuckled, moving back up to kiss Prompto’s cheek around his hand.

“Stop laughing at me,” Prompto complained, shoving him lightly.

“I’m not,” Gladio promised, and Prompto believed him.

He smiled through the tears, dropping his hand so he could look up at Gladio’s face. “I was just so scared you would hate them,” he murmured.

“Iris says they’re evidence of growth,” he smiled, brushing away the tears that were trailing down Prompto’s cheeks. “Says they’re the roots.”

“Your sister is smart,” Prompto praised, catching Gladio’s hand with his own.

Gladio looked him over fondly, leaning in to press a kiss to their entwined fingers. “Feeling better?”

He nodded, using his free hand to trace the scars on Gladio’s face. “Yeah,” he agreed.

“Do you want to leave your shirt on?”

Prompto smiled, his eyes squinting and he nodded again, pulling Gladio down for a kiss proper. Their hands disconnected as Gladio pushed Prompto’s shirt back down and Prompto let his wander across the other man’s back. His muscles rippled as he moved and Prompto could feel his face turning red again, though this time it spread through his whole body. He let out a breath through his nose as he opened his mouth for Gladio’s tongue, fisting a hand in his hair.

A lifetime of anxiety wasn’t quelled by just those words or the kisses, and he felt like Gladio could feel his quiet apprehension because he let Prompto take the lead.

Pulling away from Gladio’s mouth he put his hands on his chest, pushing Gladio off him. Gladio complied, letting himself be pushed into a sitting position with his back against the wall as Prompto looked him over. The blond reached for his arm, inspecting the white lines, running his fingers across the skin and down his side which elicited a slow exhale from Gladio. He watched Prompto ghost his fingertips over his abdomen before moving lower to unbutton his pants.

“Is this okay?” Prompto asked, looking up through his lashes.

Gladio nodded. “Oh yeah,” he answered eagerly. “Nothing has to happen if you don’t want it to.”

This time he didn’t respond, pulling Gladio’s pants down to inspect his legs. He hadn’t been lying. Scattered over the tops of his thighs were more crooked white lines, some still a faded pink. Prompto smiled lightly and traced them, hearing Gladio hold his breath as his fingers slipped under the fabric of his underwear. Prompto tried not to notice the fact that he could see Gladio’s body reacting to his touch but failed miserably. His size matched his demeanor and he gulped, his eyes lingering over the outline.

Finally Gladio reached for him with a gentleness that Prompto had never expected from someone so big. He gripped Prompto’s forearm, pulling him back up to kiss him slowly. Gladio’s tongue slid from his mouth to brush over Prompto’s bottom lip, his other hand holding his neck firmly and Prompto could feel his own body reacting as he rested fully on top of Gladio. His hands fell to rest against Gladio’s chest as they kissed lazily.

When Prompto moaned softly into Gladio’s mouth large arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. Gladio adjusted his legs on either side of Prompto, running his hands over the other’s thighs as he trailed his lips away from Prompto’s down his jaw. “Hah,” Prompto exhaled, gripping Gladio’s shoulders. “Can we—nn… just…” He sighed heavily as he lost himself in Gladio’s touch, resting their foreheads together.

“Hm?” Gladio hummed, settling his hands comfortably on Prompto’s waist.

“I’m not sure I’m…” he trailed off, watching Gladio’s face. This beyond gorgeous man was sitting beneath him but he wasn’t _ready_. He wanted this – he wanted Gladio – but just this one night wasn’t enough to provide him the confidence he felt he needed.

Gladio reached up, running a hand through his hair. “Okay,” he nodded.

Relieved, Prompto grabbed his cheeks and kissed him hard on the mouth. Despite his own fears, he didn’t feel a need to ask if it really was okay or if this was a one-time offer. The shared looks across the campfire, the lingering hands during battle, and Gladio’s recent lack of excessive teasing were all the reassurance Prompto needed. He’d entertained the thought that it had just been to get him into bed and that was all Gladio wanted from him. But the other man’s understanding and uncharacteristic sensitivity tonight had been enough. This final acceptance from him had been the last thing Prompto needed to be assured that this was more than physical.

The two kissed lazily for a long while before Prompto finally rolled off his lap. Both their bodies had calmed down, especially after Prompto made Gladio put his pants back on. He glanced over at the second bed in the room, snuggling against Gladio’s side as he slid down to rest his head on the pillows.

“I can stay here, right?” Prompto asked.

Gladio glanced at him then at the other bed. “I’d be pissed if you didn’t,” he replied, wrapping an arm around Prompto to punctuate his statement.

Prompto smiled and adjusted, using Gladio’s upper arm as his pillow. He turned his cheek to press his lips against the stretchmarks trailing across Gladio’s skin. “So are you my boyfriend now?” he grinned, hiding his face in the other man’s shoulder.

Gladio snorted. “Is that what you want?”

That was unexpected. “Is that what _you_ would want?”

A shrug. “If that’s what you wanted to call me.”

“We’d have to tell Noct and Iggy.”

“Oh Iggy knows.”

Prompto leapt up from where he was laying, slapping a hand over Gladio’s chest. “ _What_?”

Gladio rolled his eyes, halfheartedly glaring at the blond. “It’s Ignis, Prompto. You really think _you’re_ subtle enough to get anything past him?”

Good point. He made a face, lips turned down as he conceded, dropping back down into Gladio’s embrace. “Just Noct then.”

“You can handle that,” Gladio told him. He started to argue but was interrupted. “ _I’ll_ have to tell Iris.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Prompto sighed, nuzzling closer. “So you’re okay with it? And with not…” He bit his lip, swearing at himself for asking.

“You don’t have to keep asking if I’m good,” Gladio replied. He pulled Prompto to him, the hand around him poking his temple. “I’m in if you are.”

Prompto propped his chin on Gladio’s chest and flashed a sickeningly cute grin at him. “I’m in,” he confirmed, prompting a ridiculously handsome grin in return.

Lips pressed to Prompto’s forehead. “Good,” Gladio answered.

There was a beat. “When we _do_ do it, you’re going to ‘ _make me purr_ ’, right?” Prompto asked, smirking.

Gladio practically launched himself up and over top of Prompto, digging his fingers into the other’s stomach. Prompto writhed, laughing, trying to hold off Gladio’s hands. He managed to get his arms around Gladio’s shoulders, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips, missing and going off center. He giggled into Gladio’s mouth when he was poked a few more times before Gladio relented and fixed the position of the kiss. His tongue ran over Prompto’s bottom lip slowly before he drew away.

“When it happens,” Gladio murmured, brushing Prompto’s hair away from his forehead. “You’re going to do a lot more than purr.”

Prompto felt his face set on fire again. He shouldn’t have pushed it, Gladio would always win that fight. The other man smiled victoriously, pecking Prompto’s red cheek and returned to his previous position. He threw the blankets over both of their bodies, pulling Prompto close to him.

His heart was racing, but Prompto laid on Gladio’s chest. Looking around the room again he noticed the faded flowers that were on the wallpaper. The flowers weaved together, different colors – red, blue and maybe purple but he couldn’t be sure. He could hear the sounds of a shower running from the room next to theirs, probably Noctis after he woke up from a pre-bedtime nap.

Gladio’s breathing steadied and Prompto looked up at him. His head had lolled to the side and he could feel breaths brushing his forehead. Gladio didn’t normally start snoring until he was in deep sleep. Right now a good poke would wake him, but Prompto just smiled and rest his head against him again, running his hand over the Gladio’s stomach.

This felt good. It felt _right_.

**Author's Note:**

> Little story time: I've got stretchmarks. So when I saw that art of Prompto with stretchmarks (linked in the beginning notes) I instantly thought of this. I love Prompto - I love all the boys - and I figured the odds of him having stretchmarks was pretty high. Then I thought of Gladio and how big he is, just in a different way. You get stretchmarks from all sorts of things, and I figured that Gladio probably had them too since he's, y'know, a giant. But um. Yeah I've had some people tell me this is relatable which makes me happy. Not that people are worried about their bodies, but that they know the struggle. I tried to convey that with Prompto's anxiety about his stretchmarks because those are the same worries I have about mine.
> 
> But yeah. I hope everyone enjoyed this! I've been really worried about posting it, probably because it hits pretty close to home and I wanted to make sure that it was good.


End file.
